


Worth the trouble

by dahyunayeon



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: College AU, F/F, Fantasy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28959117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahyunayeon/pseuds/dahyunayeon
Summary: In a world where creatures are separated depending on their species, Sana and Momo will dare to defy the rules if that means being able to be with Mina and Dahyun.
Relationships: Hirai Momo/Kim Dahyun/Minatozaki Sana/Myoui Mina
Comments: 5
Kudos: 148





	Worth the trouble

**Author's Note:**

> commissioned by @titahvalentin on twitter, thank you!

The PJH Institute is a prestigious school in the Ninth Realm for all kinds of creatures. It’s a nice place,  _ mostly _ , except that it follows the general rules of the Realm, which separates the creatures in ranks depending on their nature. That leaves the wealthy vampires, witches and fairies on the top rank, enjoying privileges, and the werewolves and elves on the lower rank, being looked down on no matter what they do. 

Few students dare to defy these expectations; there’s no real punishment other than social rejection, but the school mirrors the Realm, so most just learn to live with it.

~

Despite the cold weather, Mina and Dahyun walk through the campus of the institute. Mina has her hands in the pockets of her padded coat and a scarf covering her chin and nose. Dahyun skips next to her happily, with significantly less layers and a much brighter attitude. 

There aren’t many people outside, only a few older students and teachers carrying suitcases and carts with cauldrons. The sun is setting and you can see the silhouettes of witches flying on brooms in the distance. 

Mina is an elf, something she’s not very keen about. Generations of mating with humans made elves lose most of their once powerful magic, but Mina still retains some of the more telling characteristics, like the long pointy ears she hides under her black hair, and her delicate facial features. But even her pretty face can’t save her from the constant deprecating jokes. 

Dahyun is a werewolf, not by birth, but because of an unfortunate situation. She transferred after everyone had already settled in, which made it hard for her to make friends. The big scar over her right eye that covered most of her face didn’t help, either, but Mina welcomed her new roommate with open arms since day one, knowing what it feels like to be the outsider.

Now Dahyun walks with her nose pointing forward, and she keeps sniffing, which makes Mina chuckle.

“Remind me to bring you a leash next time,” Mina teases her.

Dahyun side eyes her and clicks her tongue. “Just let me be. Something smells.”

“When’s the last time you showered?”

Dahyun gasps, offended, but strong thunder interrupts her. She flinches right away; then raises her shoulders and steps closer to Mina. Mina turns around and notices the black clouds quickly taking over the sky.

“Let’s head back,” She grabs Dahyun’s hand to comfort her, but another thunder makes Dahyun whine and cower away. 

Mina starts to get nervous. Dahyun has sensitive ears and she can’t handle strong noises— even when they’re in their room, Dahyun tends to hide under the covers of Mina’s bed. 

“Dahyun, let’s go.” Mina speaks calmly, reaching a hand out for Dahyun to hold. But a third explosion ruins any chances she had of returning to the dorm in time. Dahyun covers her ears with her hands and runs away. Mina chases after her, yelling for her to come back.

The rain starts to fall mercilessly, cold against Mina’s hair and skin. The rain makes it hard for Mina to see, so she holds onto Dahyun’s clothes and gets dragged by her strength. 

Mina’s ears twitch as she tries to use whatever powers she has left. It’s enough to grab Dahyun by the back of her hoodie and pull her back before she can get any further. Mina covers her head with her arms, resting her chin on top of her crown, trying to calm her down. Dahyun clutches at Mina’s coat, shaking like a leaf. 

The rain isn’t stopping any time soon, and they need to find shelter. Mina makes out a building in the distance, and without thinking too much of it she leads Dahyun there. She stumbles a bit, as she keeps trying to cover Dahyun as much as she can, and they manage to get there without falling. 

She pushes the tall doors open and slides inside. The noise dies down significantly when she closes the door behind them, and Dahyun finally uncovers her ears. Her eyes are red and there are tears running down her cheeks. Mina’s heart breaks at the sight. She engulfs Dahyun in a hug again, rubbing her back and whispering assurances into her ear. 

It’s dark in the lobby, only lit up by an emergency fluorescent light and the green hue of a vending machine with potion flasks. There’s not much else, save for a set of stairs and many brooms lined up against the wall. Mina gulps nervously— they’re in one of the higher rank dorms. 

As to not alarm Dahyun, she gently guides them until they’re hidden behind the vending machine in the corner of the room.

Just in time, the door opens and they hear a group of girls walk in. Their brooms make a knocking sound as they leave them against the wall. Luckily they don’t linger around, and soon they can hear their steps go up. 

Mina lets out a breath she’d been holding in, relaxing against the wall.

Dahyun is still out of it, shaking from the cold soaking her body. Mina takes off her coat and then she takes off her hoodie to give it to Dahyun— it’s drier than the rest of her clothes and it might help her warm up. Mina is left in only a t-shirt, but at least it’s dry enough to not be uncomfortable. She can’t say the same about her socks, though. 

Dahyun opens her mouth to thank Mina, but the door opens again and Mina is quick to cover her mouth with her hand, making Dahyun blush at her proximity. 

Mina peeks her head out of the machine to stare at the newcomers. As if things couldn’t get any worse, they are the most popular couple in school. Sana covers her wings with a borrowed witch’s cloak, and Momo— the witch in question —uses her wand and a spell as an umbrella. 

“Why does it smell like wet dog in here?” Momo asks with a certain disgust in her voice.

Mina and Dahyun open her eyes widely and look at each other in a panic. 

_ Please don’t come here, please don’t come here, please… _

They hear steps approaching, and then the two girls are staring at Mina and Dahyun curiously. 

“Are we… interrupting something?” Sana asks, entertained, eyeing the position they’re in with a smirk. Mina immediately lets go of Dahyun’s face and she steps in front of Dahyun protectively. 

Mina tries her best to steady her voice, but it still comes out shaky. “Sorry, we were on our way out.” 

“You can’t go out like this,” Momo argues, but Mina doesn’t hear her. She grabs Dahyun’s hand and tugs her towards the door, but by doing so, they both walk into the more lit up area. 

Sana and Momo gasp when they notice Dahyun’s scar and Mina’s ears poking out of her wet hair.

“Did you guys get lost” Sana whispers worriedly. 

Mina tries to fix her hair over her ears consciously. “No, it’s ok,” She reaches for the door, but it’s stuck. She turns around and sees Momo with her wand pointing to the door.

Fear grows in Mina and Dahyun, thinking they’re about to get beat up or something, but Momo only looks worried.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s too dangerous out there,” Momo turns to look at Sana, and with a simple look they seem to understand each other. “Come with us.”

“At least until the rain stops.” Sana adds gently.

Mina gulps and stares between the two girls. They don’t seem threatening at all, but Mina knows better than to trust a witch and a fairy— it could be a trap. But Dahyun is still shaking next to her, and a dry warm place is just what they need right now. She nods, begrudgingly, and doesn’t let go of Dahyun’s hand on the way up.

Sana and Momo’s dorm room is three times bigger than Mina and Dahyun’s. Sana’s side of the room has ivy on the walls, a vanity full of makeup, and an array of pictures on the mirror. Momo’s has a bubbling cauldron, a bookshelf with magic books and a stand where a phoenix is asleep. They each have queen sized beds, a personal bathroom, and all sorts of luxuries, including a velvety couch in which Mina and Dahyun sit. 

Water drops fall from the tips of their hair to the towels they have around her shoulders. They think they look pretty silly in comparison to everything else in the room, fancy and elegant, including the occupants.

The only sounds in the room are the rain hitting the windows and the cauldron in the corner. Momo stirs its contents with one hand while she holds an old book with the other. Mina and Dahyun keep looking at her nervously, wondering if they’re about to be poisoned. 

Momo is one of the best witches in school, a top student, and part of a sports team. Now, they know she’s also kind, and nothing like the rest of the snobby witches in campus, so the girls can’t help but feel admiration towards her. Now that she changed from the uniform to a form fitting shirt and sweatpants, the girls stare and blush when Momo lifts her eyes and catches them, but she only smirks knowingly and keeps tending to her potion. 

Sana comes into the room carrying a tray after a short trip to the dorms kitchen. She sets it on the coffee table and offers each of them a hot cup of tea.

“Do you think they slipped something in our drinks?” Dahyun whispers, but Mina is lost staring at Sana with dreamy eyes.

There’s something about Sana that catches anyone’s attention. Mina thinks that even if she wasn’t a fairy, she’d still be just as charming. She has pink hair that matches her purple-pink wings, lined up with golden streaks. There’s a soft hue that seems to surround her like the finest of glitter, and she smells sweet like cotton candy. 

Sana giggles, noticing Mina’s hypnotized state. She sits next to her, smiling in a flirty way. 

“Momo, don’t be so rude to our guests.” Sana calls for her girlfriend.

“Sorry, this is due tomorrow and I forgot.” 

The rain never seems to stop. 

Momo finishes her potion and joins them on the couch, conjuring a fireplace to give them extra warmth. They lose track of time, falling into a conversation that comes to all of them naturally. 

They’re all surprised by how easy they get comfortable with each other, even Mina once Sana stops purposely using her powers to make her blush. 

Mina and Dahyun are particularly surprised about how kind they are— they didn’t know that many students from higher ranks, but the few interactions they did have weren’t very pleasant. They refrain from mentioning it, though, afraid of upsetting them and getting kicked out into the darkness. 

After what feels like hours, Mina asks something that has been bugging her for a bit.

“Why are you guys helping us? You could get in trouble.”

Sana rolls her eyes. “I don’t care what the school or anyone has to say. I wasn’t about to let you go out in the rain like that just because of your  _ rank _ .” She scoffs as if the mere word was ridiculous.

“I’m glad we did, actually.” Momo smiles at them, holding Dahyun’s hand.

Those two became  _ especially _ close in their short time together. Momo is sitting on the floor, resting her head on Dahyun’s lap. After she complimented Dahyun’s scar, saying it’s cool and badass, she managed to make Dahyun drop the shyness and become warmer with her. Momo, in turn, showed her a scar of her own, one she got on her arm during her first flying lesson. 

Mina is happy to see Dahyun being so friendly with others, not bothered at all about their proximity. She wonders what Sana must think— her and Dahyun aren’t  _ together _ , but Sana and Momo are. But Sana is the same as her, looking at them with kindness in her eyes.

She starts to doubt the nature of their relationship when Sana resumes openly flirting with her, fluttering her wings, getting uncomfortably close to Mina’s face and resting her hand on her thigh. Sana offers to braid Mina’s now dry hair, and Mina holds her breath when Sana gently touches her hair, fingertips brushing the back of her neck and sending shivers down her spine. 

By the time the rain stops, hours later when the sun is already rising, Momo and Dahyun are asleep in the older’s bed, and Mina is stuck on the couch with Sana asleep on her lap, unable to sleep. She doesn’t think they’ll be able to be away after that night.

They develop a fun dynamic soon after. Momo sends her pet phoenix with little notes during the night, detailing the places no one frequents where they can meet. Mina and Dahyun feel adrenaline every time they sneak out, and their hearts beat that much faster when they finally meet with Sana and Momo. 

Dahyun suffers from Sana’s flirting the same way Mina did, but she seems to be even weaker, feeling her legs turn to jelly each time Sana teasingly pretends she’s gonna kiss her.

Mina finds she and Momo have more in common than she thought, and Momo confides in her a secret: one of her parents is also a human. Mina is impressed, because Momo is a powerful witch despite having human blood. Momo tries to convince Mina that if she practices and reads a lot, she might also be able to use some of the magic of her ancestors.

The four of them have an odd relationship, to say the least. 

Mina and Dahyun hadn’t really talked about what was going on between them, and now they had the added feelings of two more people. But if there was something they were sure of, was that they both felt the same way— towards each other and towards Sana and Momo.

Even without speaking about it, they enjoy their company, they long for it. They think about each other when they’re not together, and when they meet they’re all smiles and laughs and a few sneaked kisses here and there, which also go unspoken.

But all good things come to an end.

It’s a night of a full moon. 

Dahyun isn’t  _ too  _ worried, she’s used to it already. Mina always calls it her “time of the month” and it makes Dahyun laugh without fail. 

Usually, she stays in her room, droopy from a potion the school gives the werewolves. She sleeps through it, but she wakes up two days later in a bed full of hair and, sometimes, the wolf features don’t go away as fast as they should. She once had to go to class with fluffy ears on the top of her head, and Mina wouldn’t let her live it down.

But this time it could be different. 

Dahyun asks Momo if she can make a better potion for her, with a recipe she found in a book in the library. Everyone is hesitant at first. Momo might be a good student, but she’s still that, a  _ student _ . But Momo agrees and assures them that she knows what she’s doing, and that the side effects will be minimal. 

So they give it a try.

Momo spends two days straight brewing the potion until she deems it perfect. 

The next problem they face is sneaking into the high ranks dorm in broad daylight, because they can’t afford to wait until it gets dark. So they all ditch the last class of the day, Mina covers her ears well and Dahyun combs her hair so that it covers half of her face. She looks weird, and it attracts some weird stares, but Sana glares at them and everyone cowers away.

Once in the room, Sana locks the door and Momo secures it with a spell. Dahyun lies down on Sana’s bed, resting her hands on her stomach and nervously fiddling with her fingers. 

Mina sits down next to her and runs her hand through her hair in a soothing manner. Sana sits as well and holds Mina’s hand, who’s probably just as nervous as Dahyun. 

They close all the windows and dim the lights, trying to make it a peaceful environment. Momo picks up some of the potion with a ladle and pours it into a vial. 

Propped up against pillows, Dahyun takes one more deep breath before downing the potion. 

It’s sour and bitter and it burns her throat. She makes a face and coughs, feeling her mouth dry. 

“What’s supposed to happen now?” 

“Well… nothing.” Momo shrugs. Mina and Sana turn their heads simultaneously to glare at her.

“What do you mean  _ nothing _ ?”

“She might be a bit sleepy but there aren’t any side effects just… not turning into a wolf?”

“So what are we supposed to do?”

While they argue, Dahyun has difficulty swallowing. She’s paler than usual, and she feels a familiar sensation run through her body and tickle her fingertips. 

She swings her legs over the edge of the bed and stands up shakingly. She clutches her stomach and breaths with difficulty. 

“Mina,” She grumbles. Her voice comes out rough and deep. 

Mina is next to her in a millisecond, holding her to stop her from falling to her knees.

“Dahyun…” Momo is filled with fear and guilt when she sees the state the girl is in.

Dahyun pushes Mina away and walks until she’s hiding in a corner. Her back arches and grunts leave her trembling lips. Wolf ears grow on her head and her fingers turn into claws. Her forearms become covered in black fur and her fangs grow uncomfortably, hurting her lip. She grows a black tail, and her brown eyes turn yellow, with a tiny slit for a pupil.

She’s not in full wolf form, this is ten times worse. 

She stays in the corner of the room, facing the wall. She doesn’t want them to look at her like this. 

There’s a beat of silence. Sana and Momo step back, scared, but Mina takes small steps forward with her hand outstretched. Dahyun quivers when she feels Mina kneeling next to her.

When Mina touches Dahyun’s arm, Dahyun pulls away as if Mina’s touch burned. 

In a second, Dahyun jumps over Sana’s bed and heads for the door. She only has to pull at the doorknob a few times for it to break. She kicks the door open, out of its hinges, and runs down the hallway. 

There are screams of horror from the other residents of the dorm. 

Mina, Sana and Momo dash after Dahyun, jumping down the stairs in a poor attempt to catch up.

Outside of the building, they run straight into Miss Lee, one of their more strict professors. The vampire looks at them with red eyes that chill their souls and make them stop dead in their tracks. In the distance, near the forest area of the campus, Mina sees Dahyun running to hide in the trees and two teachers in tow with their wands out. 

Mina had never been in the principal’s office before. She finds it’s not exactly a warm place. 

She’s sat between Sana and Momo, with Principal Jung sitting on her chair and looking between them sternly, tapping her wand against her chin. 

Dahyun was fine, thankfully, just a little tired from her transformation. The teachers had stopped her with magic before she could run away, and they struggled to revert the transformation, but they managed to. She was in the infirmary wing now, probably passed out. 

Mina had been worried out of her mind. All of them were, really. Momo couldn’t stop crying for hours until the teachers confirmed that Dahyun would be okay. And Sana, well, she was trying to be strong for them, doing a better job at hiding how scared she is.

“You know I should expel you, right?” Mrs. Jung tells Momo. She simply nods, ashamed of herself. “You could’ve killed her.”

Momo starts crying again, biting her lip to stop it from quivering. Mina reaches out to hold her hand, but Momo pulls it away. 

“And you,” The principal refers to Sana. “You should’ve known to choose your…  _ acquaintances, _ better. I bet your parents are gonna be pleased to know what you’ve been doing and with who.”

Sana keeps her chin up, clenching her jaw at the woman’s words. She looks straight ahead, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

When the principal sets her eyes on Mina, she shrinks in her seat. But the woman honestly has no idea who Mina even is, so she just scoffs at her. 

“You’re gonna be in detention until you graduate.” She tells Sana and Mina. “And no magic for non academic purposes until the year ends.” Momo nods, sniffling and taking deep breaths. “And I recommend you stay away from this one if you want to keep having a future.”

Her words sting, Mina can’t deny that. 

“You can go.” Mrs. Jung tells Mina, dismissing her with a gesture. She picks up the phone and dials a number, eyeing Sana. 

Mina stands up slowly. Neither Sana nor Momo will meet her eyes, and it breaks her heart. 

“Didn’t you hear me? Leave.”

Mina sits next to Dahyun’s bed in the infirmary, resting her head on her lap and playing with her bandaged hand. 

Dahyun’s eyes still hold a little yellow tint and her sideburns are bigger than usual, but other than that and a few scratches in her hands and arms, she’s okay. 

“I’m sorry… I should’ve stopped you.” Mina whispers for the nth time. Dahyun shakes her hand and weakly brings Mina’s hand up to her lips to kiss her palm. 

“I’ve told you it’s okay. I’m not mad, not at you and not at Momo or Sana.”

Mina sighs and buries her face on the covers over Dahyun’s legs. “We should probably forget about them, anyway.” 

Dahyun frowns, “Why do you say that?”

“Momo is… terrified, she wouldn’t even look at me. And Mrs. Jung called their parents, which I’m sure will give them a bigger punishment than the school. I don’t know, I wouldn’t blame them if they forget about us.”

“Don’t say that,” Dahyun whispers, blinking away the tears. 

The doors open and Sana and Momo walk in, ignoring the nurse that tells them they’re not allowed in there. They march towards Dahyun’s bed, Sana with confidence and Momo not so much, trailing behind her.

Mina stands up, still holding Dahyun’s hand behind her back. 

“Dahyun…” Momo whispers, feeling more tears start to form. Dahyun sits up on her elbows and motions Momo over. “Please forgive me.” Momo cries out, kneeling next to the bed. Dahyun cups her face and wipes away the tears.

“Mo, I’m not mad… it’s not your fault.”

“But I—”

“I asked you to make the potion. I’m just as responsible as you are.”

“You should  _ hate _ me.”

“I really don’t.” Dahyun shrugs, smiling sadly. “Quite the opposite, actually.” 

Momo hugs Dahyun gently, burrowing her face in her neck. Dahyun rubs her back and kisses her cheek, happy to have Momo with her.

Sana and Mina just stare at each other, apprehensive. 

“Here to say goodbye?” Mina asks with a humorless chuckle. Sana keeps a serious expression, eyes boring into Mina’s.

“Do you want me to?” 

Silence.

“No, I don’t.”

Sana steps closer and holds Mina’s hand, as well as one of Dahyun’s hands. 

“Did you get in too much trouble?” Dahyun winces, recalling what Mina told her about the call to Sana’s parents.

Sana shrugs, brushing it off as if it didn’t matter what her family thought of her. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Sana—”

“Look, Momo and I don’t give a damn about what people think. Ranks mean nothing to us, all we want is you.”

Momo nods in agreement, eyes switching between Mina and Dahyun.

“Being with us is only gonna bring more trouble,” Mina whispers, still thinking about the principal’s words. If it’s hard in school, it’s gonna be even harder outside, on the real Realm.

“I think it’s clear by now that you’re worth all the trouble.” Sana chuckles, squeezing Mina’s hand.

“And it’s not like we’re a walk in the park, either.” Momo adds, voice raspy from crying so much.

“We want to be with you. If you also want us, then we’re willing to make it work.” Sana shrugs, looking at the girls with love in her eyes.

Mina meets Dahyun’s eyes, and they nod at the same time.

The four of them hug, and it’s a bit awkward, because Momo is on the floor and Dahyun is still in the bed, but they make it work, just like everything else. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comms are open on [twitter](https://twitter.com/dahyunayeon/status/1346568394670305280?s=20), if you're interested, dm me!


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